Thursday 12th June. 11 hour flight from Rome to Bangkok then 1.5 hours to the island of Koh Sumai. Arriving at 10am I am staying at the Sama Sumai Resort recommended by Johnno Wilson, son of John and Judy, brother of Pod. The resort is right on the beach at Choeng Mon. I need a swim and a massage which I book at the end of the day at the hotel spa. After a swim and lunch with Anthony Morgan he takes me to visit the land we own in the hills of North Chaweng. It i...

Sunday 14th August Plantation Island, Fiji Sam McGuinness, Ged Hart, Steve Haines & I arrive early morning at Nadi International. We are met by our driver taking us to Denarau Marina to board the Black Pearl. The marina has grown enormously since we were last here 10 years ago on Ke-Ama II. A large number of Superyachts of very good quality are moored here. The weather is beautiful after our cold melbourne winter. Here it is 20 + degrees, with the water 22 ...

Wednesday 11th. Michael leaves for the second time, and really leaves this time. It was great to see him but the 10 days he was here went so fast, and were too short. As usual we seemed to have achieved rather a lot in the short time he was here. I still have Fordie here until the 16th so we plan a few adventures together. We head to the temple of Apollo taxi stand and I mange to get across to Giuseppe the taxi driver, that we would like to go to Noto for the d...

Sunday. After 40 hours travel from the Samoan Islands in the Pacific, through Brisbane, Bangkok, Rome, to Catania in Sicily, MB arrives mid morning to Ortiga Island, Siracusa. After not seeing Janet for over a month there are great hugs and kisses. It is a beautiful day, no wind, calm blue sea. Off to the rock beach for a swim first up, in water about 21 degrees. After lunch in a nearby cafe, MB rings our architect Gemma Davies and her assistant, Laura,to cong...

Today I head to Fumicino airport to get my connecting flight to Catania 'Fontanarosa', Sicily. I am excited at the prospect of seeing the apartment completed and ready for my first sleep there. I arrive to find not only the taxi driver 'Elisabetta' waiting for me, but also my great friend Lucia. We all chat away in a mix of English and Italian as we pass fields full of oranges and lemons, with Mt. Etna smoking in the distance. There is a sense of coming home a...